‘Ugh.’
Don’t make eye contact.
I quickly averted my gaze.
It was eerie but bearable.
The mannequin bowed deeply, its posture polite, and gestured for me to follow.
Of course, following it would result in certain disappearance.
Assistant Manager Choi went missing after following the directions of a mannequin clerk. These were the last words in the last communication from the employee: ‘I think I’m heading to the membership registration corner of Boutique Street.’
Additional note: A vagrant wearing the missing employee’s broken glasses was later spotted in the back alley of the boutique. Presumed to be the employee. (Refer to Exploration Record #145)
It implied the assistant manager had been forced into labor for debt repayment upon being exposed as a trespasser—or perhaps the membership registration fee never got paid.
Either way, I tried not to imagine what those grotesque figures in tattered uniforms once were.
‘That’s irrelevant now.’
The only thing that mattered was this.
Membership registration was dangerous and must be avoided.
‘For now, I’ll try to buy something at the non-member price.’
If only members could purchase, I’d bolt—my life was worth more than what I came for.
But as I raised my hand to gesture goodwill—
……!
The mannequins flinched as though a signal had appeared on their printed faces.
They bowed again.
“……”
And I knew exactly why.
I turned my arm to check.
Beneath my raised shirt cuff, a familiar Latin word peeked through.
: Socius :
“…Does this count as membership verification?”
The mannequin bowed deeply.
“……”
Now this was unsettling.
‘This is the second time already.’
The ‘theme park membership’ tattoo left by the mascot had granted me authority within another ghost story.
– Socius.
– The Latin term for ‘companion’, ‘member’, ‘kinsman’!
As Braun had said, the word’s meaning seemed to carry universal significance across different places.
Even the Fox Counselor had recognized it…
‘Why did it leave this on me?’
Before, I might’ve seen it as sheer luck and moved on, but things felt different now.
I’d experienced firsthand how devastating contamination could be.
‘This thing is powerful, but it’s bound to affect me just as strongly.’
This was no ordinary mark, summoned through some verified ritual. It was an unpredictable, potent symbol etched into my skin.
Still, the membership verification had already succeeded. If it was dangerous, I might as well use it wisely.
“Show me the items.”
The mannequins nodded once more and moved toward the torsos they had been working on. They pulled back the curtain behind them, revealing a glass display case as if by magic.
Inside was a sleek, elegant suit, similar in style to the one I was currently wearing, though its deeper hues and peculiar sheen gave it an otherworldly quality.
The mannequins clasped their hands politely and looked at me, as if asking if I liked it.
‘It begins.’
I raised my hand.
“Hold on. I’m mostly looking for small, giftable accessories.”
There was one important rule to remember here.
You must never be greedy.
Attempting to take something beyond your means would undoubtedly result in a price far too steep for any human to bear—whether in barter or currency.
So I needed to narrow my scope.
“I’d prefer something casual and easy to wear daily.”
The curtain fell, and when it rose again, the contents of the glass display had changed, as if by magic.
Gone were the torsos. Instead, there were three or four upper-body mannequins. Around their necks, arms, and fingers, accessories gleamed under the light.
“……”
I scanned them carefully, picking out the lightest and least conspicuous item.
A thin silver ring.
Its elegant engraving was delicate, and it looked as though it required the least material to craft.
In other words, it appeared to be the cheapest.
“How much is this?”
The mannequins simultaneously raised their hands, pointing…
At my companions behind me.
“……”
Of course.
According to the , the standard form of barter in this boutique is…
Human lives.
Assistant Manager ■■■ successfully posed as an existing boutique member using mind-disrupting equipment.
Purchased item : Ring
Cost : Three civilians (One aged 35, two aged 21)
※ For government audit purposes, this exploration record was transferred. Full document access limited to C-level security clearance.
“Mr. Roe Deer?”
“……”
“U-Um, excuse me, but what exactly is happening right now…”
“Ah, I see. Please wrap it up.”
The mannequins moved with precision, delicately removing the chosen ring from the glass case.
From somewhere, they brought out a silk string with an elegant tag and tied it to the ring. Then, as if inviting me to inspect it, they presented it to me.
On the tag, fine script was written in impossibly tiny, elegant letters.
Rather than risk treading the direct path to Death Lane contamination by trying to read it, I turned to my reliable friend.
‘Braun, would you mind reading this?’
– No problem! It says, ‘Specialized tailoring, eternal luster that never fades. The craftsmanship of a noble artisan, always present.’
– Sounds like the kind of pitch that’d appeal to nouveau riche or social climbers! Oh, but let’s keep that between us, Friend!
‘…Right.’
As expected.
‘Never fades, always present’…
Those keywords were exactly what I had anticipated.
They suggested abilities tied to durability and permanence.
I recalled that in the exploration record mentioning the ‘Purchased item: Ring’, there was a separate wiki entry describing its origins.
A large-scale mental contamination incident.
The sole surviving company employee from that incident had reportedly traded three civilians for this boutique’s ring and worn it to survive.
‘How could I not think of that?’
The event was connected to the merch that I owned.
That one catastrophic train accident, all because of the Silver Heart.
Employee ■■■
The only surviving Daydream Inc. employee from the ‘Tamra Express Disaster’.
They claimed to have lost the piece of equipment—a ring—immediately after the incident. The ring was suspected to have played a decisive role in their survival.
This incident was documented under the Disaster Management Bureau’s human error cases, and it held the longest entry, even adapted into a short story for the company’s wiki.
A ring crucial enough to ensure survival without contamination during such a massive disaster…
To provide coherence and narrative depth to the ring’s origin, the boutique entry was created as its source.
In short, the accessories and garments sold here are indirectly verified by the wiki.
When worn, they supposedly provide resistance in situations that disrupt the ‘steadiness of one’s mind’, such as mental confusion or brainwashing.
In short.
‘This could be powerful mental defense equipment.’
…A must-have for someone like me, who’d narrowly escaped disaster due to contamination before.
“……”
I raised my head.
“Perfect. I’ll take this ring.”